macOS Mojave adds support for HTC Vive Pro VR headset

By

Mojave
macOS Mojave makes VR easier than ever on Mac.
Photo: Apple

Who says Macs can’t do virtual reality? When macOS Mojave rolls out this fall, it will include plug-and-play support for HTC’s latest Vive Pro VR headset.

Apple has been working closely with HTC and Valve to make this possible. Vive Pro support isn’t yet available with the first macOS Mojave beta, but it is expected to be made available to developers and testers in a future beta release.

It takes a whole lot of power to run desktop virtual reality games. Most Apple machines simply cannot handle VR out of the box. But now that macOS supports external GPUs, it’s easier than ever to upgrade your machine, and Apple knows that many of its users want to do just that.

But they don’t just want to game. They also want to game in immersive VR, which is why Mojave will support the HTC Vive Pro headset when it makes its public debut this fall.

macOS Mojave embraces VR

Apple didn’t announce this during its WWDC keynote last week, but it did confirm VR headset support during a subsequent talk, spotted by Road to VR. 

“We’ve been working very closely with both Valve and HTC to make sure Vive Pro is supported in SteamVR runtime on MacOS,” explained Karol Gasiński, who is part of Apple’s GPU Software Architecture Team. This has allowed “plug and play support” for the Vive Pro headset.

The Vive Pro is a successor to the original Vive headset from HTC. It boasts a sharper display (615 pixels-per-inch) for a more immersive virtual reality experience, as well as two front-facing cameras that could be used for augmented reality in the future.

Apple is into VR

Apple has been encouraging VR support on macOS with its eGPU development kit, which is compatible with the original HTC Vive. By adding Vive Pro support in Mojave, it will be easier for everyone to enjoy VR content and games with their Mac.

There is evidence that suggests Apple is even developing its own VR headset. The company has patended a number of headset designs in the past, and hired experts in VR.

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